MERVYN S. BENNION, CAPT, USN

Mervyn Bennion '10

Date of birth: May 5, 1887

Date of death: December 7, 1941

Age: 54

Lucky Bag

From the 1910 Lucky Bag:

Mervyn Bennion

Vernon, Utah

"Mary"

Mary Bennion, so bright and so witty,
Is a lad that I'm sure you will pity
When you learn that in truth
There await for the youth
Sixteen wives out in for Salt Lake City.

THE human calipers, Mary has to wear a tightly tied necktie to keep himself from becoming twins. A tall youth from the far West who seems to be in a state of perpetual blush and embarrassment, particularly when addressed by one of the fair sex. With a big, clear brain, backed up by thorough and systematic boning, Mary held down first place for Youngster year and never was very from it at any other time.

He roomed with Dutch for three years in the old fifth, and very naturally developed a tendency to rhino, but never let that interfere with his going to any amount of trouble for his friends. As he is of a decidedly bashful temperament and shuns hops, he was one of the easy marks when it came to standing hop night duties for other people. He usually gets the class jobs which require much labor and return little glory, but Mary goes into everything he does with the same heartiness of purpose, and invariably performs a little more than he has to.

However, if from this description you gather that you can bluff Mary into doing anything, you are sadly wrong. Like most quiet, good-natured men, he has his limits, and they are absolutely inflexible. Come as a friend and he will do all in his power for you, but try to force him and you'll find that you have been monkeying with the buzz-saw.

"Yes, I'm afraid Mervyn has rather lost interest in his studies."

Star (4, 3, 2, 1). Lucky Bag Staff. Track (4, 3, 2, 1). Green 1910. Sharpshooter (2, 1). Expert (2, 1). Class Football (4, 3, 2, 1). Yellow 1910. Battalion Adjutant (a, b)

Mervyn Bennion

Vernon, Utah

"Mary"

Mary Bennion, so bright and so witty,
Is a lad that I'm sure you will pity
When you learn that in truth
There await for the youth
Sixteen wives out in for Salt Lake City.

THE human calipers, Mary has to wear a tightly tied necktie to keep himself from becoming twins. A tall youth from the far West who seems to be in a state of perpetual blush and embarrassment, particularly when addressed by one of the fair sex. With a big, clear brain, backed up by thorough and systematic boning, Mary held down first place for Youngster year and never was very from it at any other time.

He roomed with Dutch for three years in the old fifth, and very naturally developed a tendency to rhino, but never let that interfere with his going to any amount of trouble for his friends. As he is of a decidedly bashful temperament and shuns hops, he was one of the easy marks when it came to standing hop night duties for other people. He usually gets the class jobs which require much labor and return little glory, but Mary goes into everything he does with the same heartiness of purpose, and invariably performs a little more than he has to.

However, if from this description you gather that you can bluff Mary into doing anything, you are sadly wrong. Like most quiet, good-natured men, he has his limits, and they are absolutely inflexible. Come as a friend and he will do all in his power for you, but try to force him and you'll find that you have been monkeying with the buzz-saw.

"Yes, I'm afraid Mervyn has rather lost interest in his studies."

Star (4, 3, 2, 1). Lucky Bag Staff. Track (4, 3, 2, 1). Green 1910. Sharpshooter (2, 1). Expert (2, 1). Class Football (4, 3, 2, 1). Yellow 1910. Battalion Adjutant (a, b)

Loss

Mervyn was killed in action on December 7, 1941 when his ship, USS West Virginia (BB 48) was struck by a bomb during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Other Information

From Wikipedia:

Bennion was born in Vernon, Utah Territory on May 5, 1887. The religion of the family, which he shared, was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His Welsh grandfather, John Bennion, had immigrated to Utah with the Mormon pioneers and established successful cattle operations near Taylorsville, Utah. Bennion was living near Preston, Idaho when he received his acceptance to the United States Naval Academy. Bennion graduated third in his 1910 class from USNA. His younger brother Howard Bennion, graduated first in his class of 1912 at the United States Military Academy.
His first assignment after graduation was on the USS California (ACR-6) in the engineering department. Subsequently, he was an ordnance and gunnery specialist serving in the Ordnance Bureau at Washington Naval Yard during World War I. Bennion's first command was the destroyer USS Bernadou (DD-153), followed by command of Destroyer Division One. He assumed command of the USS West Virginia on July 2, 1941.
Captain Bennion was killed in action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, while in command of the battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48). He was mortally wounded by a shrapnel shard from a bomb that blew up part of his command deck. Cook Third Class Doris Miller and several other sailors attempted to move Captain Bennion to a first aid station, but he refused to leave his post. Using one arm to hold his wounds closed, Bennion bled to death on the spot while still commanding his crew. Captain Bennion posthumously received the Medal of Honor. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In January 1906 Mervyn was a fourth-year science student of the Latter-day Saints’ university. He was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Joseph Howell. He was also nominated to West Point after taking the examination. Per the Desert News, January 5, 1906: school President J. H. Paul said Mervyn “is a young man of good habits, of quiet and unassuming manner, and a first-class student. He is a real gentleman, about 19 years of age, and of good constitution.”
In May 1906 Mervyn had the role of Mr. Bulger, hairdresser and wigmaker, in the senior class play “Sweet Lavender.” He then graduated from the L. D. S. university.
In August 1915 Mervyn transferred to the Missouri and sailed with the naval cadets to visit the fair in San Francisco. He went back through the Panama canal to Annapolis where he would take post graduate courses for the next two years.
Mervyn married Louise Clark on February 5, 1920, at her home in New York. Her father, attorney J. Reuben Clark, Jr., was assistant attorney general during the Taft administration and a major in the judge advocate’s department during WW I.
In October 1922 Mervyn’s ship USS Maryland returned to New York from its historic trip to South America with Secretary Charles Evans Hughes and his party aboard. They encountered several storms with winds up to 75 miles per hour. Per the Deseret News, October 7, 1922: “The storm played havoc with the aerials and made a bedlam in the superstructure of the ship sometimes sending waves through the galleries four or five feet deep and burying men on this high spot up to their necks and forcing them to cling on for dear life. . . . Mr. Hughes said that the wonderful performance of the ship was matched by the officers and the crew. He was also especially pleased with the daily drill, the discipline of the crew and the splendid spirit of the officers and crew.”
In June 1941 a musical was presented at the Chevy Chase LDS in honor of Mervyn and his family as they would leave shortly for Hawaii. His wife had been president of the Washington LDS Stake Relief society. Shortly before his death, Mervyn spoke at a dedicatory service at the Oahu stake tabernacle in Honolulu.
Mervyn’s father Israel was a farmer and an LDS bishop. Mervyn’s brother Howard graduated from West Point in 1912.

Mervyn is buried in Utah. His wife was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by his son, Mervyn, Jr.

Photographs

From the Salt Lake Telegram on September 19, 1930

Medal of Honor

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion, United States Navy, for conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. As Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. WEST VIRGINIA (BB-48), after being mortally wounded, Captain Bennion evidenced apparent concern only in fighting and saving his ship, and strongly protested against being carried from the bridge.
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. West Virginia (BB-48)

Career

From Naval History and Heritage Command: Mervyn's first duty station after commissioning was USS California. He subsequently served aboard USS Annapolis, St. Louis, Colorado, North Dakota, New Mexico, Florida, Tennessee, and Maryland. His first command was USS Bernadou, followed by USS Nitro and then USS West Virginia.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

January 1911

Midshipman, California

Others at this command:

MIDN Joseph Murphy '09

January 1912

Midshipman, California

Others at this command:

MIDN Daniel Callaghan '11

January 1913

Ensign, California

Others at this command:

ENS Daniel Callaghan '11

January 1914

Ensign, Annapolis

January 1915

Ensign, temporary orders, USS St. Louis

January 1916

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Academy

Others at this command:

LTjg Fred Berry '08

LTjg Franklin Van Valkenburgh '09